A Warrior's Burden
by Mars. M
Summary: Steve falls for a man who has asked the Warehouse for sanctuary after a group of terrorists threaten his life. This man is not only unusually familiar with the Warehouse but he also seems to already have quite a history within it that has been deemed 'Top Secret'. But that's not the only mystery this man holds. (Contains OC. Based in the time from within season 3 of W13)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Steve Jinks read over the file for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Artie said that this man was the upmost importance to not only the Warehouse but to the world governments in total. Steve and the other agents tried to get him to explain why but Artie said that the less they know about this man, the better. Apparently this man- codenamed "Adam"—had gotten into some kind of trouble and a terrorist organization was after him. It was the agents' job to get him to the safety of the Warehouse and have him stay there until either the terrorists gave up the search for him or the organization was annihilated.

Steve flipped through the mystery man's dossier. Nearly all of it was blacked out. But that wasn't the strangest thing. The sentences and phrases that were not blacked out made no sense at all. It would say things like "Disappearance and presumed death at—" and the date would be blacked out. Then it would say "Reappearance at—" And again, the date was blacked out. It said this at least thirty times. Why this man would disappear so much was beyond Steve. There were also many historically significant people and places that were mentioned that seemed to have no real connection to each other.

Steve flipped through the file until he found Adam's photo. Even though the picture looked to have been taken in the mid seventies, Artie assured the group not to worry about it. This was what the man looked like today. He looked to be in his early to mid thirties. He had short light brown hair that was neatly brushed to the side and dark green eyes that seemed to peer into your soul. One could see that under the white button-down shirt he was wearing, Adam was very well sculpted muscular-wise (this always made Steve stare a little longer then necessary). Lastly, on nearly every spot of exposed skin, there was a scar. Steve could easily count at least ten on the man's crossed arms as well as some creeping along his neck past his shirt collar; and there was one last thin white scar, which had sliced through his eyebrow but didn't make it to the actual eyeball.

"Didn't know you were into bad boys, Jinksy." Said Claudia who had just taken off her earphones.

Steve quickly closed the file and slipped it into the backpack that was resting in between his legs.

"I'm not into bad boys."

"Oh please, you've been staring at that file for the whole flight. All that guy needs is a leather jacket and a toothpick."

"I'm trying to figure out why he's so important but the file isn't giving me anything."

"Except a boner."

Steve shot a glance at his crotch. No boner.

"Made you look." And with that, Claudia returned to her computer.

Steve thought it best to stay silent after that. He knew he wouldn't hear the end of it if he confirmed Claudia's suspicions of him having a bit of a crush on their mission's target. Plus he knew that he should be more professional than to have this crush. For all they knew, Adam could be a threat to the world. Still, it would be slightly confusing if he were a threat since the regents agreed to accept Adam's request for sanctuary.

The plane rattled slightly as it touched down on the runway. Seconds later, Claudia's cell rang. The young agent glanced at the caller ID for only a second before answering it.

"Captain Janeway here. Landing party two, what's your status? …. Oh ok… Gotcha, Pete. I'll tell Steve. We just landed so Jinksy and I'll be there in a jiff… See ya."

After hanging up, Claudia began putting away her laptop where it looked like she was playing a very difficult level of Angry Birds.

"Pete says he and Myka are already at the meeting point and they're waiting for us now."

And with that, they both got their stuff and headed off the plane.

_

Since it was tourist season, Rome was bustling with people walking around with maps and cameras who had no idea where they were going. Thankfully this helped the four agents blend in a little better. Myka, Pete, Steve and Claudia were all sitting at the meeting point where Artie had explained to be the location that Adam had asked to meet: A small outdoor diner that looked to have just barely survived World War 2. They had been waiting for a little over an hour. Myka was just about to call Artie when a man sat down at the table behind them.

"I've been told there's a chance of rain." Announced the stranger to the agents. His accent had a slight Scottish hint to it.

All four of them recognized the code phrase.

"That's a pity." Replied Myka "We lost our umbrellas at the Vatican."

After a slight pause, the man's shoulders began to relax somewhat; but there was still tension in his demeanor.

"I apologize for the delay. I believed that I was being followed so I had to take some detours and lose them." Said Adam as he turned his chair around to face the group. He had hardly changed at all from the picture in his file. The only difference was that his hair was now parted down the middle instead of combed to the side and he had the beginnings of a beard coming in which made the old scars on his face more prominent. His cheeks were sun burnt and his eyes had dark circles beneath them. The poor man looked like he hadn't had a decent nights sleep in days. He quickly examined the agents in front of him.

"They said that they would send the best agents."

"We are." Said Pete "…. And we're also the only agents…"

"What?" gasped Adam "The last I checked the Warehouse had at least fifty agents at their disposal. What happened to them?"

"They're all dead" Replied Myka "A Warehouse agent is a very dangerous career."

"That it is…" Muttered Adam. He looked like he had just found out that a friend had died. But with a quick hand through the hair, he brought himself together once more.

"So what's the plan?"

"We've arranged for a private jet to get you out of here." Said Steve. "It's just outside of the city."

"What if we're followed?" Asked Adam. The paranoia in his eyes was rising slightly as he looked around the courtyard.

"There will be separate taxis." Myka replied. "You'll be escorted by one of us while the other three take a separate car and route. Also, there will be decoys flown off at same time as us."

Adam leaned back and his expression became slightly more at ease. However, Steve could still see a hint of worry.

"Well, it seems you've thought of everything." Said Adam with a small smile. That simple change in expression gave Steve butterflies in his stomach.

"_Damn it, Steve, stop acting like a kid and focus!_" Thought Steve to himself.

Right then, two taxis with tented windows drove up to the diner.

"That'll be our rides." Announced Claudia "Jinks, you have fun with Adam, K."

Even though it was agreed before they even left the Warehouse that Steve would be the one escorting Adam, Steve still felt unprepared. But he forced himself to act like an adult and replied with a simple nod as he walked to the car while Adam followed close behind.

As instructed by the agents, the taxi drivers took advantage of tourist-filled Rome. They made their way through crowded streets that were congested with identical looking taxis and took dozens of back allies until they made it to the Italian countryside. By the time they left the bustling city, the taxi that Myka, Pete, and Claudia were on was nowhere to be seen. Even though this was the plan, Steve couldn't help but be worried about them. It was obvious that Adam had a lot of experience with issues like this; and if he was worried about these terrorist, they must be the real deal.

"I'm sure your friends are fine." Said Adam.

Steve looked across the back seat where the mystery man sat. Adam had the window down just enough for him to feel the wind on his face. When Steve looked at him, Adam smiled which made the butterflies return in Steve's stomach.

"If there's one thing I can rely on when it comes to Warehouse agents, it's their resilience. That, and I had a feeling that the two older ones have had experience in matters like this."

"Yeah, Pete and Myka used to work for the U.S Secret Service."

"Really? That's a very honorable possession. What about the red-headed girl? I would think that she would be too young to join the agency."

"Usually she would be, but Claudia is an exception. She's one of the most talented hackers out there."

Adam leaned his head back against the seat.

"It's amazing how quickly the young learn technology. I still haven't been able to figure out that stuff."

Steve wasn't exactly sure why he asked the next question.

"… How old are you exactly?"

Adam's whole body became very stern. He looked at Steve with a blank expression but he knew that he had overstepped his boundaries.

"I thought it was common courtesy to not to ask that question."

Steve quickly tried to back peddle his way out.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just was wonder—"

"I'm not angry with you." Assured Adam, even though his green eyes still looked to have a small fire behind them. "Just don't ask me that question again. Maybe, in time, I might tell you. But not today."

"… Got it…." Was all Steve could muster out. It was astonishing how small Adam could make you feel with a simple stare. It was even more powerful then Mrs. Fredrick's stare.

There was a silence in the car for some time until Steve felt that they should be very close to the pick up point. Then, Adam did something rather peculiar. He stretched out his neck and stuck his nose out of the open window like he was a dog driving past a barbeque. After taking in a long inhale, his eyes widened and his face paled.

"STOP THE CAR!—" He cried out.

But it was too late. A large explosion on the driver's side of the taxi flipped the car over on its hood. Steve was knocked out almost immediately.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

When Steve woke up he was still upside down inside the taxi. He looked over where Adam was before the explosion but his seat was empty. There was, however, lots of blood and the window was shattered. Steve looked over at the front of the car. looking at the fatally large gash in his head, Steve concluded that the driver was most certainly dead. Even though there was still a loud ringing in his ears, Steve heard gun fire and people yelling. He hastily unbuckled his seatbelt. When it came undone, the lower half of his body flipped around and came crashing down to the floor. Once it hit the ground, an agonizing amount of pain shot up from Steve's leg which almost made him black out again. Steve looked at his leg to see what the damage was. "_I don't think my ankle is supposed to bend at that angle…_" Thought Steve.

He slowly dragged himself out of the upside down car. The agent tried to lift his leg to lessen the chance of his ankle getting any more damaged but it didn't help the pain at all. When Steve pulled his entire body out of the wreckage and eventually made it to the front of the car, he saw that there was a firefight going on. People wearing civilian clothing were firing AK-47s into the forest. Steve couldn't see what they were firing at. Suddenly two men literally came flying out of the forest; their guns going off in a frantic attempt to kill whatever had thrown them. After they smashed into two more of the men shooting, a sound that resembled the howl of a wolf on steroids erupted from the trees. The men stopped shooting and cautiously looked at who Steve guessed was their leader. The older man, looked at the obviously frightened men and yelled at them in what sounded to be Greek. Yet before they could lift up their guns again, something huge burst out of the trees.

A werewolf.

Steve could hardly believe it, but there it was. Standing at least ten feet tall, it had a humanoid body with bulking muscles and leathery black skin covered in a thin layer of black fur. It's fingers were long and bony with blood-drenched claws. It's legs and head resembled those of a wolf. Also, the werewolf was wearing blue jeans that was ripped off just below the knee. For a moment, the werewolf's and Steve's eyes made contact with each other. It's ferocious snarl receded for a moment. Steve thought he could see something familiar in those powerful eyes. But Steve couldn't think too much about it because he blacked out again.

* * *

Before Steve opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was someone holding his hand. When he forced his heavy lids to open, he saw Claudia fast asleep in the window seat next to him. After glancing around, he realized that he was in a small jet that looked like it could possibly fit twenty people at most. A few seats down the isle sat Pete and Myka who looked to be talking on the Farnsworth. When he turned his head to the other side, he saw Adam in a window seat on the opposite isle. From what Steve could tell, he looked to be reading a National Geographic magazine. A sigh of relief came over him. After seeing all that blood in the car crash, Steve was almost sure that something horrible had happened to Adam. After a few seconds, Adam's gaze made its way over to Steve. He grinned as soon as they made eye contact. "Look whose awake." Announced Adam. This made Claudia stir and eventually wake up. Once she did, Steve was smothered in a tear-filled hug as Pete and Myka made their way over to him.

"Are you Ok?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Did you throw up when you saw your ankle?... 'Cause I didn't…"

At that last comment from Pete, Steve looked down at his leg where he noticed that half way down his tibia, it was encased in several layers of thick bandages and the ankle itself was forced straight with two metal splints on either side of his foot. Steve also noticed that he was attached to an I.V; which explained why he could hardly feel any pain and he felt like he was so high, he was in orbit.

"Thankfully, the regents thought ahead and placed plenty of medical equipment on board as well as a military field doctor." Said Myka

"How are you?" Steve asked Adam. His stoned mind was limited to a few thoughts at a time and currently it was focusing on how successful their mission was: in other words, he was worried about Adam. "I'm fine, Mr. Jinks. No need to worry about me." Said Adam as he set down the magazine.

… A little too fine. Now that Steve thought about it, the explosion went off on Adam's side of the taxi. He should have gotten the worst of the damage. But that clearly wasn't the case. Aside from a few scraps on his elbows and a small cut on his forehead, Adam seemed to not have a scratch on him. There was also one last detail. A detail that Steve was surprised that he didn't pick up on immediately. Steve had no idea if Adam was lying or not. Of course maybe it was the fact that he was stoned. That could have something to do with it.

"Just a few minutes after we made it to the take-off zone, Adam used your cell to call us and tell us about the crash." Informed Pete "Good thing the taxi's GPS was still on. He used that to tell us your location."

Steve wanted to ask more questions. Questions like why Adam was in a different change of clothes; or whether the scene in the forest right after the crash had actually happened. Unfortunately, the drugs got the best of him and Steve had fallen asleep again within seconds.

* * *

Steve woke up at around two in the morning. "_Guess that's what I get for being too lazy to lug this moon boot up the stairs. This couch is going to be the death of my spine._" He thought as he arched his back to try and force out the aches.

Due to his injuries, there wasn't much that Steve could do other then sit around the Bed & Breakfast for the last month. By Doctor Calder's orders, due to Steve's ankle and severe concussion, Leena didn't let him walk around very much. She had been especially cautious after Steve had been uncooperative and refused to remain still after being confined to his room for the first three days after returning from Rome. He had pushed his way past Leena and Artie but only lasted a few seconds before it felt like his brain forgot which way was up and which way was down. Steve would have fallen down the stairs if Myka hadn't stopped him.

Fortunately after that, Leena tried her best to keep him occupied. She gave him chores like organizing some of the old mission files or cleaning the teslas. She even let him water and trim the flowers outside from time to time. It wasn't much but at least Steve always had a job to do and wasn't dying of boredom. Not entirely anyway. Steve's longing to do something exciting still tried to gnaw its way out of his head; but that was feeling was comfortably subdued every time Pete invited him to play a game of Grand Theft Auto.

Lastly, Steve realized that it wasn't the fact that he was stoned that made it impossible for him to tell if Adam was lying while on the plane. Steve tested Adam on many occasions to see if he could use his skill on Adam just like everyone else he knew. But it was pointless. For some reason, it was impossible for Steve to figure out whether Adam was lying about anything. He asked him questions from whether he likes pepperoni on his pizza to what month he was born in. Every time, Steve had no idea if Adam's answers were genuine. This man was unique. Steve didn't know how exactly… but he was…

Steve heard a noise in the eating area. Soon after, Adam came walking into the living room with a small bowl of grapes.

"I didn't wake you up, did I?" He asked with a cheek-full of grapes "I tried to be quiet."

Steve shook his head.

"I was waking up anyway." He replied as he stretched.

Apparently Adam finally decided to shave off that beard. Good thing too. Any longer and he would have looked like a younger, skinnier version of Artie. His hair was still the same though. It dangled just above his eyes and was parted down the middle in it's usual style. It occurred to Steve that in the past month since they first got back from Italy, he had never seen Adam with a "bed head". Even at the times when it was obvious that he had just rolled out of bed (Like running-into-the-couch-while-drinking-coffee obvious). It made Steve wonder what Adam actually looked like before he made it out of his room in the morning. Maybe he should find out sometime…

"_Damn it, Steve! Stop picturing Adam in bed with you!_" Steve mentally kicked himself.

At this point, Adam was lazily walking behind the couch and heading towards the stairs. Suddenly, Steve had the urge to ask Adam one of the many questions that had been floating around in his head the past few days.

"What do you remember about the crash?"

Adam paused, set the grape that was half-way to his mouth back into the bowl, and looked down at Steve.

"Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to make sure I was remembering things correctly. If you recall, I had a pretty bad bump on the head."

Adam came around to the other side of the couch and sat on the armrest where Steve's feet were. He glanced down at the cumbersome moon boot. Adam's eyes looked distant for a second before he spoke.

"It's just like I told the others." He explained "One moment we were driving down the road. Everything seemed fine. Then, without warning, there was some sort of an explosion that flipped the car. You got knocked out and I used your cell to call the other agents and tell them what happened."

Steve thought back to the event that kept being referred to as a dream. He remembered the men shooting into the forest and yelling in Greek. He remembered the werewolf burst through the trees and throw the shooters around like they were ragdolls. He remembered the somehow familiar look in the beast's eye as it glared directly at Steve. He was almost certain that Adam was lying. He didn't need his gift to know that. But why? Adam was fully aware of what the Warehouse was and what it contained. He must have known that its members were no strangers to the odd and unexplained.

"What aren't you telling me, Adam?" Asked Steve, as he slowly made his way to a sitting position.

"What are you talking about?"

Adam's face was like stone. Almost completely void of emotion. Yet there was the very faint flare in his eyes that told Steve that he was putting Adam in a very uncomfortable position.

"Something happed in between the explosion and you calling the others. I woke up for a short time and I remember something going down…"

Adam ran his fingers through his hair. He was clearly agitated. "What do you remember then?" He asked.

"… I remember men shooting at a werewolf."

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?... Men... shooting at a 'werewolf'?... Were they throwing grenades filled with mistletoe leaves at the creature as well?"

Adam let out a low chuckle.

"Jinks, do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?"

"I've seen stranger things."

Adam suppressed a laugh; which sounded more like it was created out of nerves rather then something actually being funny.

"Jinks... Whatever you thought you saw back in Italy… It didn't happen. You suffered a serious concussion. Did you ever consider that it might have played a role in what you saw?"

"… It might have."

Steve was pretty much convinced now that Adam was set in his story. Whether that meant that he wasn't backing out of his lie or that Steve's concussion actually did cause a very vivid dream, Steve wasn't sure. What he was sure of however, was that he wasn't getting anything else from Adam tonight.

"Well there you have it." Said Adam as he got up and briskly headed up the stairs with his grapes in hand.

* * *

Steve didn't get much sleep after the talk with Adam. Not only because he was too tired to drag the moon boot up the stairs, but the scene after the crash kept replaying in his mind. He was certain that it had actually happened; no matter how far-fetched it seemed. Still... Steve had heard many stories about people having extremely vivid dreams after a head injury. Things from people having out of body experiences, to having talks with their dead loved ones, to actually going to the afterlife. What made his experience any different. A small wave of guilt came over Steve. If he really had only dreamed about the werewolf and the men, it meant that he had interrogated Adam for nothing.

He had just stood up, grabbed his crutches, and was about to join the other agents in the eating area when Adam made his way down the stairs with a bowl that contained the seeds and stems of last night's snack.

"Hey, Adam, can I talk to you for a sec?" Asked Steve as he straightened up.

Adam, turned to Steve, he didn't seem to be that much effected by last night's talk.

"Listen, I wanted to apologize about last night. Chances are I did just dream all that stuff."

"Jinks, it's fine, really. I've gotten my share of head bumps. It's hard to tell the fact from fantasy in those moments."

"Right... so I'd like to make it up to you. A way to say I'm sorry for being suspicious."

"What do you mean?"

Steve took a deep breath before he said the sentence that he'd been wanting to say the second he first met Adam.

"I want to take you out to dinner."

Adams eyes widened for a second before he seemed to find something intriguing about the grape seeds inside his bowl. His cheeks began to grow red.

"_So this is Adam embarrassed?_" Thought Steve "_My god, that's adorable!_"

"Do you mean... As a date?"

It suddenly dawned on Steve that he'd been gawking at Adam for weeks, but he had never even thought about asking him if he was gay or not. Steve mentally kicked himself yet again.

"Well..." Began Steve, trying to figure out how to back out of the topic of this became too awkward "It could if you want it to. But you know... if you don't want it to be like that, then it could just be two dudes eating together... at a fancy, dimly-lit Chinese restaurant... Or... We could just order pizza here. Nothing weird about that... except that Pete might eat all the pizza... What if we-"

"Whoa, Steve, hold for a sec." chuckled Adam. That was the first time Adam ever called Steve by his first name.

"I love Chinese. And yes; I've found that I like you in that way as well. I was just a little cautious to say anything."

"Yeah?"

"Aye. So... Let's say we meet here at six? I just got a rental so I'll drive."

The butterflies came back into Steve's stomach. But this time, they filled with joy.

"It's a date.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Steve wrecked his room before he found an outfit that seemed appropriate for the first date with Adam. He wanted something that looked like he was taking this night seriously but didn't want to seem over-dressed or desperate. He let out a chuckle when he recalled that earlier that day Mrs. Fredrick, who just happened to be at the Warehouse for an entirely different reason, somehow found out about Steve's and Adam's date (Steve swore that if the speed of gossip journeying around the Warehouse team could be measured, he was positive that it would be labeled the fastest thing in the universe). Even though she had nothing against the date itself, she was still troubled about Adam going into town for a prolonged period with an agent who could barely walk without crutches. It took some convincing, but they eventually managed to settle into a compromise. Steve and Adam could go into town as long as Pete and Myka went along with them. They wouldn't be in the restaurant with them of course, but if something were to happen, they could be there within a matter of minutes. It would lessen the romance a bit but Steve didn't complain. He felt lucky to get this chance at all.

When Steve was satisfied with his casual yet sharp attire of black dress pants with a dark blue button-down shirt and his favorite dress shoes, he threw on his new double-zip jacket and carefully made his way down the stairs. Once he reached the bottom, he found Pete watching a basketball game and stuffing his face with chips while Myka was reading on the opposite side of the couch (she seemed to not be interested in the game at first but every now and then she would glance up at the screen).

"Has Adam come down yet?" Asked Steve as he straightened his jacket for the twentieth time.

Right then, Adam came in from outside. He was wearing what looked to be brand new blue jeans and a crisp white button-down shirt that had it's sleeves rolled up just below his elbows, along with a black vest and bright red tie. Very sexy.

Steve tried to find some sort of compliment that didn't sound cheesy. All he could come up with was "Hey".

Adam seemed to be going though the same mental debate that Steve was going through because all that came out of his mouth was that charming-as-usual smile and a "Hi".

Pete turned off the T.V and brushed the crumbs off of his shirt as he stood up.

"All right you two, save the mental undressing for the actual date. Off we go!"

The car ride was mostly quiet aside from the occasional short conversation about sports, the latest books and movies, and the possibility of this being a double date. Both Myka and Pete refused to call it that but every time they did, Steve and Adam would exchange glances. They both knew chemistry when they saw it.

Myka parked the car half a block from the Chinese restaurant. She and Pete were going to be at a diner a short ways away. After reminding the men to call them in an hour if they felt like staying longer and a quick thumbs up from Pete, the couples went their separate ways.

* * *

When they got to the restaurant, they both ordered and relaxed into a conversation about numerous topics from their favorite historical era, to whether they preferred "Blond Bond" over the classics. Things seemed to be going great until Steve got hold of the drinks. Within half an hour, he got tipsy.

"Maybe you should lay off of the saki, Steve." Said Adam as he subtly pulled the tea cup filled with the Japanese liquor away from the agent.

"Why?... I ain't drunk..."

Steve drank the last sip remaining in his cup.

"The fact that you said 'ain't' betrays that statement."

Steve didn't get it. Adam had drank nearly as much as himself, maybe a little more, and he looked fine! Maybe he had a hollow leg.

"Why'do you talk like that?" Slurred Steve. He was losing control over what thoughts turned into words.

"Talk like what?"

"Like that! Like... freaking Commander Data or something... I donno... And why do you eat so much and not get full?"

"What?"

Adam had eaten at least twice as much as Steve that night and from what he could tell, Adam wasn't even close to slowing down. Then Steve said something that he never would have said if he was sober.

"... And why did the werewolf have your eyes?..."

"_Shit! Why did I say that!" _Thought Steve "_First I get wasted, then I make fun of the way he talks THEN I bring that up again? What's wrong with me? I'd be surprised if he doesn't just walk out right now!_"

Adam looked straight into Steve's eyes, looking pretty shocked that he would ask him about that vision yet again.

"... Steve... Did you ask me out just to get information?"

"_Crap! Crap! Crap!_" Thought Steve as he hastily tried to put himself together.

"No!" Realizing how loud he was, Steve lowered his voice and leaned in closer.

"No, Adam, of course not."

"Then why did you bring that up again?"

"Because I..." Steve was tired of lying.

"Because I know what I saw. I _know_ that it wasn't just a vision. And frankly you're making me think that I'm going insane because of this."

Adam's eyebrows came together and he closed his eye for a few seconds. He seemed to be going through a million thoughts all at once when they reopened. Adam gently put his hand on top of Steve's.

"... You're not insane..."

Adam looked around at the few people in the eating area before he locked his eyes with Steve's.

"Steve... What I'm about to tell you hasn't been revealed to anyone outside of a select group in over a millennia. I didn't want to risk your safety by telling you but... it seems now I have no choice in the matter."

A waiter walked over to the table to collect their empty plates. He threw a judgmental glance at the two men's joined hands before walking away in silence. After a moment, Adam lowered his voice even more.

"That werewolf you saw in the forest... That was me."

Steve felt his heart skip a beat. He was speechless.

"I survived the crash because other then another werewolf, nothing can kill me. If it wasn't made by a werewolf's teeth or claw, the wound will only last for a few hours before completely healing itself. Don't ask me why or how, I have no idea. I've had a perfect immune system and cell regeneration ever since I can remember."

"And how far back can you remember?"

"From the time I was eight... about four-thousond years ago."

Well, needless to say, that comment slapped Steve back into being sober.

"... Say what?..."

"Give or take a few centuries of course."

So many questions were running through Steve's mind. It explained so much! Why more then half of Adam's dossier was blacked out and why there were so many historical names and events in there that seemed to have no connection with each other. It even explained the scars... Wait...

"Hold on..." Whispered Steve as he glanced over at the passing waiter "You said 'other werewolves'... Are there more like you?"

The seriousness in Adam's face was replaced with sorrow.

"There used to be. There were thousands... millions of us world-wide. Some called us Skin-Walkers, Lycans, Chupacabras, the list goes on. We lived in balance with the rest of the world. Most feared us, but with that fear came respect. And we returned that respect to early Man; only taking what we needed.

When the Church of Rome came to power, most Christians saw us as purely mythological and didn't bother us in the least, but a small group of them not only saw us to be real but portrayed us as evil, demonic even. The stronger this cult got, the more we were hunted down and slaughtered. Today, there's less then a few hundred of us left, and almost none are pure bred like me. Most of the modern werewolves have comfortably intermingled with Man; their decedents will never know who they really are or what they're capable of. I am one of the last pure breeds of my kind. Which is why the Warehouse has found an interest in me... among other reasons."

"Are you guys human?"

"In a way, yes. I've heard werewolves described as another branch or another 'breed' of humanity. But in the end, we still share the same blood."

Adam squeezed Steve's hand slightly.

"I still care about you just like anyone else would."

"So... you're not going to try and eat me or something?"

Adam laughed softly. The tension slowly rising off his face.

Right then a man who was coming around the corner. He suddenly stumbled and reflexively grabbed Adam's arm to stop himself from hitting the floor. Adam flinched slightly.

"Whoa, sorry, bro." Slurred the man. "You good?"

Adam gave him a single nod.

"Cool." And with that the man wondered off behind the other corner. Adam had his eye on him the whole time.

"Something wrong?" Asked Steve as he looked back at the man who had now slipped out of sight.

Adam didn't answer for a second but he soon looked back at Steve with a smile.

"Just a drunk bugger... Uh, Steve, what I told you tonight... you can't tell the others about it."

"But shouldn't they know the details?"

"Throughout history there have been soldiers that didn't know the full details of a situation and as long as they were the best, they still ended up victorious. It is my experience that Warehouse agents are truly some of the best soldiers this world has to offer. Also, if one of you are captured... This group has ways of getting information out of people. But you can't get information if it's not there to begin with."

"... Which is why you didn't want to tell me all that in the first place."

"Exactly."

Steve's phone rang and he answered it.

"_Hey!_" Began Pete "_How you're little date going?_"

"It's going good." Steve replied "We were actually about to order some dessert."

"_Well sorry to say but you're going to have to skip that._"

"Why? Something wrong?"

Adam stiffened at the change of tone in the conversation.

"_Nothing solid._" Said Pete "_But some some rumors are floating around that Adam's friends have been spotted in Pierre. And since apparently these guys like to spread themselves out, there's a chance that they might be around Univille. Hope you don't mind, but we're picking you two up. Sorry to cut the fun short, guys. I think we still have some chocolate ice cream back at the B&B you can have. I promise I won't eat it."_

"Thanks, Pete. We'll be waiting out front."

When Steve hung up they quickly flagged down their waiter and asked for the bill. Once Adam convinced Steve that he was going to pay, they made their way outside where Pete and Myka were waiting in the car.

* * *

The car ride back to the B&B mainly consisted of Pete and Adam having an argument about which sport was better: American football or Rugby. But it wasn't all that bad. Adam held Steve's hand the whole time (Except for the short time when Adam put Pete in a playful headlock when he called Rugby "Football's senile grandpa". It was a good thing Myka was driving).

When they got back, Pete and Myka stayed downstairs while Adam helped Steve upstairs. It wasn't until then that Steve realized how tired he was. He couldn't wait until he could get that freaking moon boot off.

"Well, there were a few surprises tonight but I'd say that this went rather well." Said Steve once they got to his bedroom door.

Adam grinned and nodded. Slowly the grin faded as he rubbed his arm.

"Steve, I want you to know that I'm sorry if this thing with the people looking for me gets out of hand."

"Why would you say I'm sorry."

"... Throughout the years, I've had many friends who were in the same situation that you and the other agents are in right now. Most of the time, I didn't even ask them to help me, in fact many times I refused their help; but they still put the duty onto themselves... Many people I cared about have died trying to keep my existence a secret."

"Adam, you're one of the last of an ancient and powerful people. I consider it an honor to defend you."

Adam's eyes began to water but he quickly swallowed them back down. Without thinking, Steve pulled Adam in and hugged him.

"We'll get these guys." Muttered Steve. "You'll be able to stop running very soon."

Adam let out a long sigh and seemed to be satisfied with the hug. Steve began to pull away but Adam stopped him by gently taking hold of his forearm. He rested his forehead on Steve's cheek for only a moment before they kissed


End file.
